Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett Meetings: Leadership and Productivity...

Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett

Meetings: Leadership and Productivity

Lectures Based on Leadership Communication, 4th edition

By Deborah J. Barrett, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.


Discussion Topics

Deciding when a meeting is the best forum

Planning a meeting

Conducting a productive meeting

Reviewing purpose, end products, and agenda

Establishing roles and ground rules

Using common problem-solving methods

Managing meeting problems and conflict

Ensuring meetings lead to action

11-2


Deciding When a Meeting is the Best Forum

To determine if a meeting is the best forum, ask yourself the following questions:

What is the purpose? What do I hope to accomplish?

Will a meeting accomplish that purpose most efficiently? Most effectively?

Can I describe exactly the outcome I am seeking from the meeting?

Is our group more productive when we meet?

11-3


Planning a Meeting

Clarify purpose, objectives, and end products

Decide on the following: Attendees Location, equipment, and room layout Materials needed before and during Meeting timing Decision-making approach

Create the agenda

11-4


Clarifying the Purpose and End Products

Before the meeting or at the beginning, write out and agree on your purpose and objectives.

Align those objectives with the expected end-products.

For example -

Objective Identify major issues in

the case Determine possible

approaches to issues Assign tasks

End products List of five issues

Written approaches or actions to find approaches

Action items with responsibility assigned

11-5


Conducting a Productive Meeting

To conduct a productive meeting, you will need to do the following:

Review your purpose, end products, and agenda

Establish roles and ground rules

Use common problem-solving methods

Manage meeting problems and conflict

11-6


Establishing Roles and Ground Rules

Sample Ground Rules

Discussions are to be informal and interactive

Our goal is to have open, nonjudgmental exchange of ideas

No idea is a bad ideaAll participants are

equal No sidebars are

allowed

Roles

Leader

Facilitator

Note taker

Timekeeper

11-7


Using Common Problem-Solving Methods*

1. Brainstorming

2. Ranking or rating

3. Sorting by category (logical grouping)

4. Edward DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats

5. Opposition analysis (is/is not, pro/con)

6. Decision trees

7. From/to

8. Force field analysis

9. The matrix

10. Frameworks*See appendix for discussions of some of the methods.

11-8


Managing Meeting Problems

Problem

1.Confused objectives and expectations

2.Unclear roles/ responsibilities

Approach Create agenda that includes

objectives and end products Send agenda out ahead of time Review agenda at the

beginning of meeting

Communicate roles and responsibilities before or at the beginning of the meeting

11-9


Managing Meeting Problems (continued)

Problem

3. Confusion between process and content

4. Drifting off topic

Approach

Separate leader and facilitator

Call time outs for process checks

Stop and review objectives If digression continues, suggest

Continuing after meeting Placing topic on agenda for

next meeting or in “parking lot”

11-10


Managing Meeting Problems (continued)

Problem

5. Data confusion or overload

6. Repetition/ wheel spinning

7. Time violations

Approach

Control versions of handouts Create simplified data packs Exclude data not relevant to

objectives

Control the discussion by reminding attendees of objectives

Always start on timeHave a time keeperRe-evaluate agenda topics/time

limits and build in cushion time

11-11


Managing Conflict

High

Low

Level of cooperationHighLow

Level of assertiveness

Competing

Compromising

Collaborating

Avoiding Accommodating

Source: Adapted from Blake and Mouton, in Deborah Borisoff and David Victor, Conflict Management: A Communication Skills Approach, p. 6. 11-12


Ensuring Meeting Follow-up Occurs

Assign specific tasks to specific people

Review all actions and responsibilities at the end of the meeting

Provide a meeting summary with assigned deliverables included

Follow-up on action items in a reasonable time

11-13


Discussion Summary

Unproductive meetings may occur if a meeting is not the best forum to accomplish the tasks

Ensuring productive meetings means you need to plan the meeting carefully and conduct it with skilled facilitation

Meeting problems and conflict need to be managed immediately and not allowed to linger

To ensure needed actions occur following the meeting may require some micro-managing

11-14


Appendix:Some Problem-Solving Methods

11-15


Traditional Brainstorming

Purpose: To generate a lot of ideas Characteristics:

Each person is expected to contribute an idea Ideas are not to be evaluated or judged Ideas must be captured just as they are Quantity is what is important, not quality A facilitator’s role is to keep things moving

and make sure the scribe captures all ideas Brainstorming ends when the ideas stop

coming or when time runs out

11-16


DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats

Purpose: To encourage open and complete thinking about a problem (parallel thinking)

Characteristics: Each person figuratively wears a hat of the same color

and assumes the characteristics assigned to the color The colors are as follows:

Red = Emotions

White = Facts

Yellow = Possibilities

Black = Devil’s advocate

Green = Creative solutions

Blue = Evaluation of ideas

11-17


The Matrix

Purpose: To evaluate or diagnose problems, establish positioning or approach, or determine level of difficulty in making changes

Characteristics: The matrix is usually a four box configuration with

each axis assigned an evaluative label An example would

be the skill/will matrix: High will

Low will

Low skill High skill

11-18


Force-Field Analysis

Purpose: To explore problems and develop strategies for change

Characteristics: First, the problem is described, and then

the situation as you would want it to be is described.

What emerges are two sets of forces, one driving towards the desired goal and the other pushing in the opposite direction.

When the forces are found to be in equilibrium, no change can occur.

11-19


From/To

Purpose: To establish accurate description of a current situation with a matching list of desired changes

Characteristics: Particularly useful in a change situation Helps uncover problems and improvements Very useful in a team situation or idea

generating workshop

From To

11-20


Frameworks

Purpose: To simplify or make a complex idea more manageable, to capture visually the elements of a complex problem, or to force greater analysis

Characteristics: Can be original (the best usually are since

then they are tailored to the problem) However, numerous frameworks exist,

which can save valuable time and ensure comprehensiveness; thus, they should be part of every facilitator’s tool kit.

11-21

Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett Meetings: Leadership and Productivity...

Documents

Transcript of Leadership Communication, 4th edition by Deborah J. Barrett Meetings: Leadership and Productivity...